Cambodia sees decline in poverty rate

Phnom Penh (VNA) – The poverty rate in Cambodia fell to 17.8% in 2020 from nearly 40% in 2009, an official has said.

Theng Pagnathun, director general of planning at the Ministry of Planning, told a press briefing on July 29 that the poverty rate declined by 1.6 percentage points annually during the last decade, driven substantially by rising wage and earnings.

He said the decrease is in line with the Government's commitment to reducing at least 1% of the poverty rate each year.

Cambodia's COVID-19 cash transfer programme, launched in June 2020, has significantly benefited some 2.8 million people from 707,000 poor and vulnerable households so far, he noted.

Citing a United Nations Development Programme report on Cambodia released on July 27, the official said the programme has helped bring down Cambodia's poverty rate over the last two years.

According to the World Bank, the national poverty line in this Southeast Asian nation is 10,951 riel, or 2.7 USD a day. Under the new poverty line, about 18% of the population is identified as poor.

Poverty rates vary considerably by area. The poverty rate is the lowest in the capital Phnom Penh at 4.2%, in other urban areas at 12.6%, and the highest in rural areas at 22.8%, the bank said./.